Forging Family
by Tempest Rose
Summary: After the winter war, secrets are revealed and one person gets a new chance to be happy. Crossover begins in third chapter, rating on the safe side.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Buffy the Vampire slayer, or any of the characters contained therein. The first two chapters will not show the crossover but it will be in the third. I'm only putting this in the story once so for future reference base ages in the Buffy-verse around the fact that Dawn is 23 in this story. Also, for the Bleach characters I will be using the Japanese titles and means of addressing peers. Enjoy.

**Chapter 1: The Beginning in the End**

It was finally over, the Winter War had ended. Toushirou stood panting in the middle of Karakura, Aizen' blood dripping from Hyourinmaru's blade as the traitor's severed head lay at his feet. He had done it; he had killed the bastard that who had manipulated poor Momo. Toushirou was in a state of shock, unable to believe that this was it. All around him the Espada were either dying or surrendering to the Shinigami they fought against. As much as he wanted to help out, needed to check on Matsumoto and Hinamori, Toushirou was hurt quite badly himself. As the adrenaline began to fade, blood loss took its toll, and the diminutive ice master fell into unconsciousness.

Awareness returned to him slowly, and though Toushirou felt stiff from lying on a hard surface, the pain he should have felt from his wounds was absent. Opening his eyes slowly, the young captain was greeted by the yellow glow of healing kidou and the face of squad four's Fukutaicho. Toushirou turned his head to his left, away from Kotetsu with a groan; but when his eyes landed on Inoue treating Matsumoto's wounds, an overwhelming sense of relief filled his heart. As the light from the kidou disappeared from around him, Toushirou sat up slowly, getting his bearing before attempting to stand. He turned to thank Kotetsu-Fukutaicho for treating him, but the statuesque woman had moved on to another patient.

Now on his feet, Toushirou took the chance to observe his location. He was back in Seireitei, that was for sure, and he would bet that he was also somewhere in the fourth squad's barracks based off the heavy antiseptic smell permeating the air. Reaching out, Toushirou pinpointed Momo's reiatsu and found that she was alone. Without further ado, he set off in her direction; intent on seeing his surrogate sister's condition first hand.

The first thing he noticed when arriving at the room Momo had been placed in was the smell. The air held a heavy scent of copper, due mostly to the bloody and still wet uniform that she refused to remove. Tobiume was nowhere to be seen, and Toushirou felt a pang of guilt stab at his heart as he realized he was glad that Momo didn't have her zanpakutou close by. Her hair hung limp and knotted against her back as she stared out the sole window in the room, and Toushirou could almost see the paper that was clutched tightly in her hand. He was sure that it was the same letter she had gotten when Aizen faked his own death and implicated the tenth squad Taicho as the culprit.

"Momo? Are you alright? You really should get cleaned up; your uniform will stick to your skin when it dries otherwise."

"It was you wasn't it?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke, and she made no motion as her gaze lay unfocused on the tree outside.

"What do you mean?"

"You killed Aizen-Taicho didn't you? You killed him and let that bastard Ichimaru waltz right on by. If it hadn't been for Ayasegawa-san the real traitor would have gotten away. Tell me, what price did Matsumoto-Fukutaicho have to pay to spare that fox's worthless life? What did she do for you that made you kill an innocent man while the real traitor got a free pass? Tell me Hitsugaya-kun! Tell me!" Momo had turned away from the window and stalked toward him, her voice gradually rising to a yell. Toushirou was in shock, he had no idea what to say to her.

"I never gave Ichimaru a free pass, if I had the chance I would have killed him too. And Aizen was never innocent; he was a traitor for over a hundred years. Ichimaru and Tousen were little more than his minions. He manipulated you Momo, why can't you see it? The war is over now, and once Unohana-Taicho releases you we can go visit Granny. Won't that be nice? We can go spend time with her and be a family, just like old times." Toushirou fought to keep his voice calm and gentle as he spoke. With his hands raised as though to placate the distraught girl, the young man did his best to smile reassuringly.

"We can go visit Granny? We? We nothing! Do you really think I'd let a murderer anywhere near my Granny? You are a monster! How long until you decide that she deserves to die just to satisfy your own sense of right and wrong? How long until you have me branded a traitor? I wish Granny had never taken you in! If I could change anything I would have left you in the streets to die. You are not my family, Hitsugaya-Taicho! Never come near me or my Granny ever again or I'll kill you myself, you murderous bastard! I never want to see your face again!"

Toushirou was in shock, he hadn't been expecting Momo to go off on him like that. Between the pitch and volume of her voice, and the fact that she was close enough for him to smell green tea on her breath, he had no idea how to react. So surprised was he, that when Momo shoved him backward toward the door, Toushirou toppled over like a house of cards. Stumbling to his feet and out of the room, the boy desperately sought an exterior door. Finally finding a way out of the building, Toushirou collapsed against the wall, an invisible weight seemed to push on his chest, making every breathe a chore.

His mind had shut down, not even Hyourinmaru could get through to Toushirou. With no set destination in mind, other than as far away from the girl he used to call sister as possible, he ambled onward. So far gone was the young captain, that he never sensed his attacker coming until he felt a sharp pain in his neck. And then the world went black.

Yay! Chapter 1 is done. Look for chapter 2 soon, and I promise to tell you exactly what happened to Toushirou.


	2. Chapter 2

See chapter one for disclaimer.

Toushirou woke slowly, feeling like his brain had been soaked in Rangiku's stash of sake and his body wrapped up tightly in thick woolen blankets. Fighting to open his eyes, teal orbs burned with the intensity of the lights before quickly slamming shut once more. It took a few moments before the signature smell of antiseptics registered in his disoriented mind, but Toushirou was able to deduce that he had woken up in the barracks of the fourth division. Sitting up felt like a monumental task, and he kept his eyes shut tightly against the harsh lamps. Once he was fully upright, Toushirou attempted to open his eyes once more, and was thankful when the sight that greeted him was smooth brown floorboards instead of the powerful lights above him. This was also when he noticed that something was very, very wrong.

His hands were too small, his sleeves much too long. Toushirou's clothing was all but falling off of him and he couldn't see his feet because the hakama fell too far past them. Swinging his legs straight out he saw the outlines of his feet but that was all he could manage. Toushirou was freaking out, plain and simple. Later on he promised himself that he would deny it vehemently, but the diminutive captain was panicking. As he began to hyperventilate, Hyourinmaru pulled Toushirou into his inner world to calm the boy down.

_"Master, you must calm down. I know you are confused and frightened by what has happened, but please try to calm down. Toushirou it will be alright, we can figure this out and find a solution, but you need to be able to think clearly first."_

"Great, just great. First Mo-no Hinamori- disowns me and tells me I can't even go see Granny ever again, but now I've shrunk! I'm the same size as Kusajishi Fukutaicho if not smaller! Wasn't I small enough before? Hyourinmaru, what did I do to deserve this? And how? I don't remember anything after Hinamori yelled at me. Was I wrong in killing Aizen? He was the enemy, I did the right thing didn't I?"

Hyourinmaru never had the chance to reply to his master, because at that moment Unohana Taicho walked into the room carrying a change of clothing for him. He recognized the black fabric as a shihakushou, complete with smaller tabi and waraji on the top of the stack. But she seemed to have something in her hands under the uniform. Toushirou had no idea what it was, as all he could see was a blue bundle.

"Hitsugaya Taicho, I'm glad to see that you've woken up. You were unconscious for two days and I was beginning to worry. I've brought you some new clothes so that you can change into something that fits. In addition to a smaller uniform, Kuchiki Taicho sent this bundle along for you, though I admit that I do not know what it could be."

"What happened to me Unohana Taicho? Why am I so small now? The last thing I can remember is getting into an argument with Hinamori Fukutaicho. I think I went for a walk afterward to clear my head but everything else is fuzzy." Toushirou barely kept himself from wincing at the higher pitch his voice now had. Caring nothing for modesty, he began to climb out of the now oversized uniform he was in and quickly put on the smaller clothing. As he began to tie the waraji onto his feet, Unohana sat down on the edge of the cot and looked at him with one of the most serious expressions he could ever remember seeing on her face.

"You did go for walk after you spoke to Hinamori san, and Kurotsuchi Taicho found you. He had been conducting experiments in physical regression behind our backs. Since you were rather out of it, and unable to defend yourself, he decided to test the serum on you. Not only have you been physically de-aged to the equivalent of a human five year old, you are also human as well. After a thorough diagnostic, I have determined that your reiatsu is still fully intact and at its normal levels. I think that between the de-aging processes that your body went through and adapting to such reiatsu for your new size is the reason that you slept for the past two days. Kurotsuchi Taicho has been locked up in the first division's holding cells pending trial, and he says he has no antidote for your current condition. What is strange is that Kuchiki Taicho seems to have an idea on who might be able to help. Matsumoto Fukutaicho is currently in the world of the living attempting to convince Urahara-san to come back here and take a look at you."

Toushirou sighed heavily, that was just great. He was human again! Would Soutaicho let him remain in the Seireitei? Would he still keep his rank as a Taicho? There were just too many questions swimming through his head, he had no idea which one to ask first. Setting his hand on the cot, he remembered the bundle that was wrapped in blue from Kuchiki Taicho. That was something that could distract him, even if only for a second or two. Toushirou turned so that he was kneeling on the hard bed and untied the dark colored cloth, pulling the flaps of fabric back to stare in shock at the contents of the soft package. A haori, complete with the insignia of the tenth division embroidered on the back. Picking it up he saw that it was a perfect fit for his new stature. Slipping the garment on, Toushirou found himself blinking back tears that had sprung up for no reason. He had never expected such a token of kindness from the stoic sixth division Taicho. Looking up at Unohana, Toushirou was surprised to see the soft look of shock mixed with what he could only just barely identify as a sort of maternal pride. Giving the woman a sort of watery half smile, the small captain was about to ask her where his zanpakutou had gone when the door opened. Looking over in surprise at the intrusion, Toushirou spotted Kyouraku Taicho and Ukitake Taicho.

"Oh you're awake! We're glad to see you up and about again Shirou-chan!" Kyouraku's deep voice was as cheerful as ever as he sauntered across the room to lean on the wall behind Unohana.

Pulling a chair in from just outside the door, Ukitake came and sat next to the bed. "How are you feeling Hitsugaya-kun? You've been through so much it hardly seems fair for this to have happened to you too, but I doubt Soutaicho will strip you of your rank. I think by now I know you well enough to tell that you were worried about that. What is somewhat puzzling is the fact that Hyourinmaru took your blade back into himself, I can only guess he is attempting to resize his own physical manifestation to better fit you as you are now."

Feeling completely disarmed by Ukitake Taicho, a regular occurrence to anyone who talked to the sickly man, Toushirou found himself more relaxed and admittedly more resigned to what appeared to be his new fate. He didn't know why, but at that moment all he wanted to do was curl up in the lap of someone who cared and not worry about anything for a while. With a deep sigh he shook his head and tried to shake the urge to forget his troubles off too. Toushirou couldn't push his problems away, he was still a Taicho after all, and his squad would need him to be strong. Maybe Urahara-san will be able to fix this and get him back to normal. Before Toushirou could ask if anyone had heard from Matsumoto about if she had gotten in touch with the lazy shop keeper, a hell butterfly landed on Ukitake's shoulder, calling the four Taichos to a meeting in the first division in half an hour.

"Well, seems to me we had better head out if we want to make it there on time. You up to walking or would you like a ride on my shoulders Shirou-chan?" Kyouraku asked with a smile.

"Normally I'd just walk there myself but im not sure I would be able to keep up so I think I'll take you up on that offer Kyouraku Taicho." Toushirou couldn't help but stare at his feet when he answered, being so small made him feel so helpless. Not really expecting it, he just about jumped out of his skin when he felt Kyouraku's hat land on his head before he was lifted up and set upon the man's wide shoulders. After all that he had already been through, the rapid altitude change nearly made him ill with dizziness. Since no one seemed inclined to speak, Hyourinmaru found it to be a perfect chance to talk with his master. Toushirou wasn't even surprised when his view changed from the crown of Kyouraku's head to an icy field.

"_Master, everything will be just fine. Ukitake Taicho is right about why you have no blade for me, but I'm not sure if I will be able to alter myself well enough for you. Right now we must rely on the other taichos."_

"You're right Hyourinmaru, much as I may not want you to be." Toushirou's brow furrowed at the snort of amusement issued by the ice dragon. "Unohana Taicho did say something about Kuchiki Taicho knowing someone who might be able to help."

"_That is true. Hopefully all of our questions will be answered at this meeting. Now wake up, Kyouraku Taicho is about to put you back down."_

Sure enough, just as Toushirou woke up from his trip into his inner world, Kyouraku Taicho set him on the ground just outside the hall where the meeting was being held. As he handed back the hat, Toushirou smiled gratefully at the kind man. Ukitake Taicho had opened the door for Unohana Taicho, and the sickly man gave the young boy a reassuring grin while motioning him inside. Toushirou did a bit of a double take once his eyes had adjusted, never before had he seen Urahara-san without his striped hat, yet here he was in full shinigami regalia, haori and all. Taking his place at the blonde's left while Kyouraku Taicho stepped up to the space between Kuchiki Taicho and himself, Toushirou took a deep breath to calm down before Soutaicho spoke.

"You are all aware of the reason behind this meeting. As I hope you have all heard by now, Kurotsuchi Mayuri has been placed under heavy guard in the first division's holding cells. In light of his betrayal, and the revelations about the origins of the Vizards, Urahara Kisuke has been re-instated as Taicho for the twelfth division. Urahara Taicho, have you made any progress in researching his latest experiment?" Nine sets of eyes turned toward the blonde.

"Unfortunately I have not. Kurotsuchi kept no notes about the serum he was making. He was very protective of it though, as it appears he made only enough for one trial. Not even Nemu-chan was allowed to work on it with him. Without Kurotsuchi's cooperation, I don't know how long it will take me to find a cure. And that's assuming a cure even exists."

'Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.' Toushirou chanted mentally as his eyes screwed shutand his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His body chemistry was changing, he knew, but Toushirou never expected to become so emotional.

"That is sad news indeed, Urahara Taicho. But I expect that you continue working on a solution to this problem."

"Of course I will, Soutaicho! Have you ever known me to turn down a challenge?" Several chuckles were heard.

"Now, Kuchiki Taicho, I believe you stated that you may know of someone who can help?"

"Yes I did. I also understand that by confessing such knowledge, I am going to be admitting my guilt of consorting with a mortal." Murmurs of surprise ran through the hall at the nobleman's confession.

"In light of recent losses, as well as your social authority, such an indiscretion will be overlooked. Please continue."

"Very well sir. I have, for about four years, been acquainted with the two most powerful withes in recorded history. I would like to take Hitsugaya Taicho to London so that they can analyze his condition and determine if the effects of Kurotsuchi's illegal experiment can be reversed. I also invite Ukitake Taicho to join us, as they have been working on a cure to his illness that is designed to work specifically with the unique physiology of shinigami."

"My god, you really think that they could cure me?"

"I think through sheer stubbornness if nothing else."

"Very well. If Ukitake Taicho wishes to accompany you he may. I want one other taicho to accompany you on this trip."

"I wish to invite Soi Fon Taicho to join us."

Ebony eyes widened in surprise as Soi Fon stepped out of the line to stare at Kuchiki Taicho. "You want to bring me on this meeting? I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I hardly expected to be your ideal choice."

"Have you ever had the chance to spar with a vampire slayer?"

"Are you telling me I'll really have a chance to spar with the slayer, Kuchiki Taicho?"

"Not at all, Soi Fon Taicho. I'm saying you'll have the opportunity to spar with any of over a thousand slayers. All the potential slayers in the world who were over the age of twelve were activated six years ago when the Hellmouth in California was closed."

Toushirou leaned forward to peek past Kyouraku Taicho and saw the excited smile adorning the diminutive woman's face. No one knew it, but Soi Fon was actually one of his best friends, and Toushirou was glad to see her look so excited.

"Faith-san has been pestering me for some time to bring her a 'proper' opponent." His hands might have been behind his back, but no one missed the sound of implied quotation marks in Kuchiki Taicho's voice. Toushirou giggled a bit, the action having been completely unconscious on his part. Almost immediately, he realized that the sound had come from him, and Toushirou quickly slapped both hands over his mouth in embarrassment.

"There is one thing I wish to request while we are gone, Soutaicho. In the current graduating class at the academy are two women I would like to have assigned to my division. Their names are Anya Jenkins and Tara McClay. They are American, so I am not sure if they have become accustomed to introducing themselves by their last names instead of first names."

"I will pass your request along to the head of the academy. Urahara Taicho, how long for gigais to be ready for traveling?"

"Well, since Soi Fon Taicho will want a gigai strong enough to face a slayer, I'll need two hours."

"Then if Kuchiki Taicho will provide the appropriate coordinates, I expect you all to be ready for departure by then. This meeting is adjourned."

Toushirou decided that he would wait for his fellow Taichos to leave the hall before heading to say goodbye to officers for the time being. Having drifted off into his own world for a bit, he was understandably startled when strong hands lifted him to settle against their owner's hip. Blinking his eyes into focus, Toushirou found himself staring at Kuchiki Byakuya and feeling oddly comforted by that. Giving into the temptation to act like the child he had become, Toushirou let his head drop to rest against the nobleman's shoulder, letting his worries and fears overcome him for a time. The change in his mood did not go unnoticed though, and he absently noted that the arm supporting him had tightened its hold just a bit. Before he knew it, Toushirou had drifted off to sleep.

Waking slowly, Toushirou privately mourned the loss of the strong, warm arms he had been in as he slept. It didn't take much to realize he was lying on the couch in his office, as the fabric under his face smelled heavily of Matsumoto's light and clean scented perfume. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Toushirou became aware of voices in the room.

"Don't worry about a thing, Kuchiki Taicho. I will take care of the division, and I swear all the paperwork will be done on time. Just take care of Taicho please?"

"I will Matsumoto Fukutaicho. I will warn you though, at the first sign of late or missing paperwork, my grandfather has spoken to Soutaicho about stepping in as the provisional Taicho for this division. And you should know that I am a very lenient man compared to him."

Toushirou grinned from his place on the couch. Matsumoto must have been sitting at her desk, since the conversation sounded like it was being held behind him. He managed to not jump in surprise when Kuchiki Taicho walked around the couch to sit on the low table in front of it. Looking into the gray eyes of the man before him, Toushirou saw many emotions he never expected. This great man, his secret role model, was looking at him with such empathy and compassion that he almost couldn't keep from crying in gratitude. Toushirou was very proud that he didn't gasp aloud when Kuchiki Taicho smiled softly at him.

"I'm sure you're very worried about what is going to happen once we get to London, but you don't need to be. The people I'm taking you to go see are very kind. When I heard what had happened to you, I told them immediately. They couldn't offer to help fast enough. Toushirou, they have never met you but they've spent the last two days arguing about who will get to be your legal guardian for the identification papers that Willow-san is making. As far as I know, no decision has been made because they all want you. They already consider you family, and that isn't something to be taken lightly. They won't abandon you Toushirou, I can promise you that. I won't lie and say that they're perfect either. Just like any family, there are problems, but that doesn't mean they love each other any less."

"What do you mean they all want me? Why would they say that when they don't even know me?" Toushirou was very confused; no one had ever wanted him since Central 46 had assassinated Kusaka. He felt the cushions dip as Matsumoto sat down and pulled him into her side.

"Taicho, they will love you. Right now I think they just see someone in need of a few good friends. Let them be that, ok? But right now you need to get going. The Senkaimon opens in ten minutes."

Yay! Chapter 2 is done, and it's the longest one I've ever written. For those of you looking forward to the entrance of the Buffy characters, they will be in the next chapter. Until then, I bid you farewell.


	3. Chapter 3

**TR: To all my readers, I am so sorry that chapter 3 has taken so long. I have had major writer's block on this and Soul Gate, but my friend helped me fix it for this story at least by introducing me to Rock Musical Bleach. If you haven't watched any of them, you should, seriously. Please note that this does not follow the manga at this point, and it doesn't really follow Buffy season 8 either. Anyhow, standard rules apply. If you recognize it, odds are it ain't mine.**

The main headquarters of the International Watchers Council was doing a wonderful impression of a war zone. Willow and Buffy were running around trying desperately to make the place look nice, while Dawn and Spike sat on the front desk to watch the show. Angel and Xander had opted to hide in the library and do research, shocking all and sundry by their sudden cooperation and camaraderie. Faith had taken a large group on patrol through the sewers in her own attempt to avoid the insanity. All of the scoobies were on edge about their visitors. After all, it was about time Byakuya brought some company with him. Giles came down the stairs from his office with a heavy sigh. He sent a comforting smile to Dawn as she sat fidgeting with a stuffed purple dragon before attempting to corral his flighty slayer and a highly caffeinated witch. Taking his glasses off to clean, Giles got ready to reprimand the two women.

He never got the chance however, because it was at that moment that the front door opened to reveal a group of four. There were two men dressed in slacks and wool coats, one of which carried a child hidden underneath a thick blue winter coat. Between the men was a woman in tight jeans and a leather coat that reached her knees. The newcomers appeared to be oblivious to the chaos that they had interrupted. Turning to look at the man who was carrying the child, the first man spoke as though they were the only ones in the room.

"Byakuya-kun, why aren't you wearing your kenseikan? I've not seen you go without them since Ginrei-san gave them to you."

Byakuya turned to look at Ukitake to answer his question. Before he could open his mouth to reply, however, Dawn hopped off the desk and answered for him.

"He won't wear them because he got tired of me stealing them for myself. The bigger one makes a great hair clip." She had crossed to room to greet the four Shinigami. Pulling the heavy coat off of Toushirou and hanging it in the front closet, Dawn plucked him out of Byakuya's arms. When she felt how thin he was, she frowned to herself. Handing Toushirou the stuffed dragon she had been holding, Dawn turned to Byakuya with a glare and a forceful smack to his arm.

"Don't you ever stop to eat? Have you even thought about getting a good meal into Toushirou or yourself since that circus reject got to him? It's a darn good thing you're here now sweetie, you are in dire need of a good meal." Dawn had turned her back to the other three Shinigami and directed the last part at Toushirou.

To his credit, Byakuya waited patiently for the end of Dawn's outburst before responding. "First off, ow. How do you always manage to hit me where I'm already bruised? Secondly, Toushirou just woke up this morning. I haven't had a chance to stop and grab anything for myself, let alone anyone else." Over at the front desk, Spike snickered loudly at the nobleman's comment. Behind him, Byakuya could hear Ukitake chuckling under his breath and Soi Fon trying, and failing, to hide her giggles.

From his place in Dawn's arms, Toushirou had been quietly observing this entire exchange. He wasn't sure who this woman holding him was, but she put him at ease. That fact that she seemed so protective already made Toushirou want to do little more than curl into her and throw away all his cares. He even found himself clutching the stuffed dragon tightly, already becoming reluctant to return the object to her. Toushirou suddenly kicked himself mentally; he had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that someone approaching him once again startled him. Looking up at the owner of the cool hand that had settled in his hair, Toushirou found himself staring into the ice blue eyes of yet another person he hadn't met.

Spike knew he was screwed. He'd known it since the day he had let Glory torture him for information about the Key. The little boy in Dawn's arms had merely reinforced that knowledge in his brain. Whether the boy knew it or not, he had already perfected to age-old art of the puppy eyes, and Spike knew he had never stood a chance. He could feel his demon raging inside, wanting to rip the limbs off of anyone who would dream of harming the child in his niblet's arms. Ruffling the soft white locks under his hand, the master vampire smiled gently and spoke.

"You're alright now pet, no need to be using that look on me. Ain't a soul here that would hurt you, we take care of family you know? And don't worry none about that dragon, he's yours anyhow."

Toushirou blinked owlishly at the blonde man, stuttering out a response. "B-but what? I-I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just holding it temporarily." In his head, Hyourinmaru chuckled at his master's discomfort. 'Quiet you,' Toushirou told his zanpakutou. Of course all that did was set the dragon off into a round of deep laughter. During this byplay, Toushirou vaguely noted that he had been set down on a hard surface.

"So Byakuya, are you planning on introducing your friends? I mean, we know who the adorable kid is, but you're being rather rude about the other two at the moment. Xander commented from the stairs. He and Angel had decided to come back downstairs and see what was going on. Looking at the newcomers, Xander's eye widened slightly as a smirk began to grow on his face as he spotted Soi Fon. Hopping lightly down the rest of the staircase, he walked over and threw his right arm over Byakuya's shoulders. Turning his good eye to look at the Shinigami, Xander spoke to his friend. "Well now, Byakuya, did you bring a slayer with you?"

"No, Xander-san, I did not bring any slayers. I did bring Ukitake-Taicho and Soi Fon-Taicho. She is very much looking forward to sparring with Buffy-san and Faith-san" Byakuya actually let Xander leave his arm there, something that surprised Ukitake immensely. The silver haired man also didn't miss the excited look on the face of the small blonde in the room.

Of course, karma chose that moment to be a bitch, and Ukitake began to suffer from a coughing fit. Moving with a speed that belied their size, Spike and Angel rushed to his side and helped the sick man sit down on one of the couches. As willow and Dawn moved to provide whatever mystical aid they could, Toushirou pulled up his knees and did his best to curl into a ball on top of the desk. He really hated feeling quite so helpless, but there was nothing that could be done to fix it right now. Toushirou was so focused on the chaos in the room that he nearly leapt out of his gigai in shock when the phone rang. With a wary eye, the tiny Taicho scooted to the side and said nothing as Buffy answered the incoming call.

"Thank you for calling the IWC, how may I help you? Really? I see. Alright, we'll send a representative to pick you up right away."

Toushirou looked a bit confused at what he had caught of the phone call, it had sounded quite vague. Looking the diminutive blonde in the eye, he did his best to relax and uncurl himself. Logically, he knew she wouldn't hurt him; but Toushirou was currently able to defend himself, and the power that the blonde exuded set him on edge. Silently reaching for the stuffed dragon that he had put down earlier, Toushirou watched as Buffy walked over to Dawn.

"Hey Dawn, you need to get one of the big vans and go to Heathrow. That doctor that Giles has been trying to recruit is there with his kids and a few of his son's friends for some reason."

Nodding her assent, Dawn went and grabbed a coat and scarf from the front closet. Walking over to the desk to retrieve to proper set of keys, she bent over just a bit and spoke to Toushirou. "Be good while I'm gone ok?" Dropping a soft kiss on the little boy's head, Dawn grabbed the keys and headed to the garage. As he watched her leave, Toushirou felt someone pick him up. Leaning into Byakuya's warm embrace, Toushirou did his best to memorize the people he was about to be introduced to.


	4. Chapter 4

**TR: Here's yet another chapter, go me!**

Dawn was extremely happy to see that there was very little traffic on her way to the airport; it helped to make the trip feel much faster than it really was. Letting her mind wander just a bit, she began thinking about that adorable little boy. Toushirou Hitsugaya was such an amazing little boy, and Dawn couldn't help but smile at the luck of having him in her life. That smile almost instantly shifted to a look of rage and bloodlust as she thought about the people who had caused such a major upset in his life. From what Byakuya had told her, Dawn not only blamed the man who had turned Toushirou into a human child, she also blamed the woman who had upset him and left the tiny captain in such a vulnerable state to begin with. 'Oh wait; I should probably use the Japanese words for the ranks in Soul Society. Toushirou might be more comfortable that way.' Dawn thought.

Pulling into the loading zone at Heathrow, Dawn parked the van she was driving and headed into the terminal. At the beginning of December business in the airport was surprisingly light, so large group were easy to spot. As she neared a group that she hoped was the one she was looking for, Dawn saw a face that made her stop dead in her tracks. It was a little known fact kept only amongst the scoobies that Hank Summers had a half sister who was Japanese. Dawn's aunt had passed away around the same time that Sunnydale had been destroyed, and the woman left behind a son. Spotting her cousin without his father, Dawn's temper flared anew. As she took a deep breath to cool her nerves, Dawn her cousin call her name. Walking over to the teen, she pulled him into a warm hug.

"Uryuu, how have you been and how badly do I need to maim Ryuuken?" Behind him, an orange haired boy and the only adult in the group grinned madly at Dawn's comment.

"I'm alright, though if you kill him I'll be very upset with you. I have no desire to move and change schools right now. So are you here to pick us up?"

"If you're here with Dr. Kurosaki then yes, I am." Turning to the rest of the people in the group, Dawn introduced herself and got everyone's names in return. Grabbing a couple extra bags of luggage, she led the group of seven out to the van.

Back at council headquarters, Byakuya was coming down the stairs with a pensive look on his face. Moving to sit on one of the couches next to Ukitake, he let his head drop into his hands. Feeling the couch dip on his other side, Byakuya turned his head just enough to see that Soi Fon had plopped down beside him. Rubbing his temples and debating the merits of aspirin versus a stiff drink, the noble let out a deep sigh.

"Is everything alright, Byakuya-kun? I'm not used to seeing you look so troubled."

"It's nothing Ukitake-Taicho. Honestly, I'm not sure who's more exhausted- me or Toushirou. He seemed so frustrated with himself too, poor kid. The war has been over for barely three days and he can't seem to catch a break. Truth be told, I'm worried about whether or not justice will really be done on his behalf. You know I'm sure that Kurotsuchi will get what he deserves, but will Hinamori? As far as I can see, she hurt Toushirou more than Kurotsuchi's serum did. I understand that the girl was upset, but the depth of her delusions worries me."

Soi Fon and Ukitake weren't really sure what to say to that. They knew he was concerned for the youngest Taicho, but had not realized the true extent of that emotion. Thinking back to the last two days, Ukitake noted that Byakuya hadn't really stopped at all. The younger man had been running himself ragged since finding Toushirou unconscious in the street two nights ago. Byakuya had spent the last two days splitting his time between the Sixth and Tenth divisions, his home, and apparently the council. Ukitake and Soi Fon shared a look over their fellow Taicho's hunched back, both feeling more than just a little inferior to the man between them.

"Kuchiki-Taicho, you need to rest too. You won't be any good to Toushirou-kun or your division if you burn yourself out." Byakuya and Ukitake both turned to look at Soi Fon in surprise, since when did she refer to others in such a casual manner?

Crossing her arms and glaring at the men on the couch, Soi Fon's voice was more than just a bit defensive. "What? I'm not allowed to have friends? Just because no one knew about it doesn't mean anything."

Byakuya and Ukitake didn't speak in response to Soi Fon's minor outburst. In fact, the only thing they did to show any kind of reaction was to each raise a single eyebrow at the petite ninja. As the two men sat glaring at their female companion, the front door opened to reveal Dawn and the group she had gone to retrieve. Sitting up to take a look at the new arrivals, Byakuya felt his jaw drop slightly. Standing there was none other than the former Taicho of squad ten, and based on the resemblances he could see, not only was the man Ichigo's father but he had two daughters as well. Turning to look at Ukitake, Byakuya scowled and pointed a single finger at the man.

"Do not say a word."

"What? I wasn't going to say anything."

Ichigo looked between the two Shinigami that were sitting on the couch. He had no idea what they were talking about, but the carrot top had a feeling that it involved him somehow. He wanted to know what Byakuya and Ukitake were speaking of, but right now he was more concerned with why they were here in the first place. Before he got the chance to ask what was going on, Dawn stepped up to Byakuya.

"Where is he?"

"Upstairs taking a nap. He didn't seem very happy about it either."

"Well if his body needs it, then that's just the way it's going to be for now. Did he eat anything?"

"Yep. He had a grilled cheese sandwich and half a bowl of tomato soup. I would have tried to make him eat more, but he was more likely to try to drown in what was left."

Dawn nodded in understanding as Byakuya stood and pulled her into a hug. By the Goddess she had missed this man. Sighing as she buried she buried her face in his chest; Dawn tried to let go of her frustrations and just revel in the fact that Byakuya had survived. She hadn't seen him since just after his sister's attempted execution, so she had known that the Winter War was coming. Dawn's heart bled for the little boy upstairs, Byakuya told her that he had fought harder than anyone to try avenge the wrongs done to the girl he considered his sister. To think that the girl had hurt him so badly made Dawn want to hold Toushirou and never let him go.

Byakuya had closed his eyes and buried his face in Dawn's hair, shutting out the rest of the world. He was content to simply exist in her arms, forgetting all about the horrors of the war. Suddenly the peace he felt was shattered, because from upstairs came the sound of a blood curdling scream that turned Byakuya and Dawn's veins to ice.


	5. Chapter 5

**TR: Well here is chapter five; I had a lot of fun with this one. Also, since my friend thelanblossom is awesome, she drew me a picture of a five-year-old Toushirou holding his stuffed dragon. I've made it my avatar so you can all see it by clicking on my pen name and going to my profile. **

When Dawn heard the scream, she stopped thinking and reacted purely on instinct. Clinging to Byakuya and reaching out with her magic at the same time, she transported both of them directly into Toushirou's room. Upon arrival, Dawn and Byakuya nearly leapt apart in order to figure out what was going on. What they saw nearly broke their hearts. Sitting on the bed and clearly in the early stages of a full-blown panic attack was Toushirou. Dawn barely paused long enough for her brain to process that he wasn't hurt before she surged forward and pulled Toushirou into her arms.

Byakuya was incredibly glad to be dating such a powerful witch; Dawn had gotten them to Toushirou much faster than his shunpo ever could have. Once they had arrived in the child's room, Byakuya released Dawn and was about to draw Senbonzakura. He realized at almost the last second that there was no immediate danger, and was just barely able to cease the motion. As Dawn plucked Toushirou up into her arms, Byakuya sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her down onto his lap. Because she was still holding Toushirou, the little boy ended up on her lap facing both Dawn and Byakuya. With his right arm around Dawn's waist and his left hand softly stroking Toushirou's hair, Byakuya laid his head against Dawn's shoulder as he tried to steady his own raging emotions.

The moment that the scream had been heard, Ichigo and Uryuu both went still. It sounded like a child was being tortured or something. Despite having just come out of a war, the two teens were actually frozen by their adrenaline at first. Snapping out of their stupor after Dawn and Byakuya vanished in a flash of green energy, Ichigo and Uryuu looked at each other for just a moment before bolting toward the stairs. Reaching out with their senses, the Vizard and Quincy had no trouble finding where Dawn and Byakuya had disappeared. Stopping outside of a closed door, the two young men took a second to catch their breath before Ichigo reached for the doorknob.

As the door crept slowly open, Byakuya raised his head to see who was coming in. Even Toushirou showed a small measure of curiosity, as he had managed to stop crying in favor of peeking over his shoulder. To say that Ichigo and Uryuu were shocked by the positions of the room's occupants would be an understatement, but in truth they were more surprised by the little boy in Dawn's lap. Those teal eyes could only belong to one person, and Ichigo's inner hollow perked up with curiosity. How had Hitsugaya Toushirou become so small? Ichigo was about to speak up and ask when he spied something from the corner of his eye. Walking over to the far side of the bed, he spotted a stuffed dragon lying on the floor. Picking up the purple toy, Ichigo walked back around the bed and sat on the floor at Byakuya's feet as Uryuu grabbed the desk chair from the other side of the room. As he got settled on the floor, Ichigo noticed that Toushirou had turned around to face the two teens that had come into his room. Holding the plush toy that he had grabbed out toward the white haired boy, Ichigo smiled gently and spoke softly.

"I think you dropped this. He looked pretty lonely over there on the floor."

Reaching hesitantly for the little dragon in Ichigo's hand, Toushirou pulled it back quickly. Wrapping his arms defensively around the toy, he leaned back toward the junction between Dawn and Byakuya's bodies. Did Kurosaki come here to judge him? Shaking that thought off, Toushirou buried his head under Byakuya's chin as he tried to calm down from the dream he'd had.

Uryuu rested his arms on the back of the desk chair he was straddling. He was trying to figure out just what to say. The initial shock of seeing the youngest Taicho so small was beginning to fade and be replaced by curiosity. A part of Uryuu's mind suspected that Kurotsuchi was behind this somehow, and the Quincy was going to gut the clown for it. He was trying to find words to phrase his question in a way that wouldn't leave Dawn and Kuchiki-Taicho ready to gut him when he heard his cousin speak.

"Toushirou, it's ok if you had a bad dream sweetie. No one will think any less of you for it."

"You were in it." Toushirou's voice was so soft the Uryuu and Ichigo almost couldn't hear him. As the little ice master looked back up at Dawn, they could all hear the tears in his voice. "You were there and Hinamori was on Aizen's side. I tried to tell you to run, but before you could get away she killed you. Then I felt Aizen kill me, and that's when I screamed. It seemed so real, I swear I felt his sword go through me."

Byakuya's eyes were clenched shut against the mental image of his love dead at the hands of an impudent brat like Hinamori. In a somewhat uncharacteristic show of affection, the noble tightened his hold on Toushirou as he titled his head down to nuzzle the white locks tickling his chin. Beneath his hand, Byakuya could feel the little boy's frantic heartbeat. Releasing a shaky breath, he swallowed thickly before trying to comfort Toushirou.

"It was only a dream Toushirou. You and Dawn are here and safe, that's what matter right now. I won't let anyone hurt either of you, ever. Toushirou, I know that you've been through a lot in the last few days, but things will be ok. Aizen is gone, and I won't let anything happen to you, ok?"

Toushirou shifted in Dawn's lap so that he could look up at Byakuya. He was shocked that the man was saying such things; no one had ever behaved in such a way toward him before. Not even Isshin-Taicho had acted so much like a father to him. Glancing at the two boys in the room, Toushirou could tell that they were just as shocked as he was. Who would have ever thought that Kuchiki Byakuya was capable of being so paternal? Leaning back to rest against the hard muscles of Byakuya's torso again, Toushirou looked between Uryuu and Ichigo as he waited for one of them to speak.

"Ano, Hitsugaya-Taicho, did Kurotsuchi do this to you?" Uryuu tried to keep his voice calm, but no one missed the homicidal edge in it.

"Hai, at least most of it."

"Most of it? Did someone help him do this to you Toushirou?" Ichigo was very eager for answers. He considered Toushirou to be a good friend, and the young Vizard would stop at nothing to protect the people he cared about.

"Not intentionally. I went to see how Hinamori was that night and I guess you could say that we had a fight. She called me a murderer and said she would kill me if I ever went anywhere near Granny, and as it stands right now she could. I left, ran really, and once I got outside I just started walking. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings so the only clue I had that someone was following me was when I felt the needle go into my neck. Now I'm a five-year-old mortal with the powers of a Shinigami that I can't even get to. And on top of it all, I think I can sense my old Taicho downstairs, and I really don't know if I can handle his insanity right now."

"Your ability to sense reiatsu is still as sharp as ever. In fact, he just so happens to be Ichigo's father." Byakuya couldn't help the hint of amusement in his voice as he told Toushirou that little tidbit.

"EH?!" Toushirou pulled back to stare at Byakuya. Turning his gaze from the noble's sparkling gray eyes to meet Ichigo's deep brown orbs, teal eyes widened in realization. "That, actually, makes sense. It explains a lot of things too. Does he try and wake you-"

"By launching a sneak attack on me almost daily? Yes, yes he does. He did that to you?"

Toushirou sighed and gave the teen a wry smile. "Every day from the time I graduated the academy. I always wondered what happened after he was exiled."

"So why was my dad exiled? He's not some sort of criminal is he?" Ichigo sounded wary. He was starting to wonder if his sisters were really safe with the old goat face.

Byakuya huffed softly, fully aware of the irony of the situation at hand. "He was exiled for the same reason I should have been four years ago. He fell in love with a mortal. The difference is that Dawn refused to let me get caught or leave Soul Society on my own. Before you start with me about Rukia's failed execution Ichigo, realize that there is nothing you can say or do to make me feel guiltier than I already do. You'd be better off saving that energy for when Urahara decides that he's done with Kurotsuchi. That circus reject will be getting a very public execution with full audience participation if I have anything to say about it."

Ichigo and Uryuu both gave Byakuya bloodthirsty smirks, showing him just how much they liked his idea. Both boys wanted a shot at the psychopath, but they would wait as long as they had to in order to get it. Clearing his throat just a bit, Uryuu's expression grew serious as he regarded Byakuya with stern eyes.

"Kuchiki-Taicho, I don't doubt that the rest of my strange extended family has already done this, but I just want to make sure you understand something. If you ever do anything to hurt Dawn, I will fill you so full of arrows that you will look like a damn pincushion by the time I'm done."

Byakuya nodded to the young Quincy, really he had expected no less. Placing the arm that had been wrapped around Toushirou's stomach under Dawn's knees, the raven haired man lifted both woman and child off of his lap. Leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, Byakuya let the cold mask he wore for his division slip into place as he stared down the teens before him.

"Rukia has told me that Inoue-san has no family, so I do this on her behalf as well. If either of you ever do anything to hurt either of those girls, I will personally rip out your rib cages to make hats. Do you understand?"

Ichigo paled for just a second before he came up with a reply. "Please tell me you'll at least wash them off first?"

Byakuya smirked at that. "Of course. It would just be gross otherwise."

Uryuu shook his head in amusement. Turning to look at Dawn, he blushed just a bit as his stomach growled loudly. "Dawn, I think Kuchiki-Taicho is spending too much time with Spike and Buffy. Now can we please get some lunch?"


	6. Chapter 6

**TR: Wow, this chapter really flew by. Quick shout to Magician Girl Mirani, love the idea and I will do my best to work it in. if you know of a site where I can find translations please let me know! Also, for future reference, anything in bold is Ichigo's hollow talking.**

As the group of five made their way downstairs, Ichigo decided that it was as good a time as any to get a few answers. The threat he had received from Byakuya had sounded an awful lot like the other man was giving him permission to pursue Rukia. Ichigo wasn't stupid, he had known that Inoue had a crush on him for years, but he pretended not to notice in hopes that she would turn her sights elsewhere. "Hey Byakuya, so since you gave me the obligatory death threat, does that mean I have your permission to ask Rukia out?"

"Much as it does pain me to say this, yes Ichigo, you have my permission. If you ask her to dinner while you're here in London, I might even be willing to provide suggestions on where you could take her."

"I'd really appreciate that, thanks. And I'm gonna remember that threat you used on Uryuu and me. Karin and Yuzu will probably want to start dating in a few years."

Placing a hand on Ichigo's shoulder in an almost brotherly way, Byakuya flashed the teen a menacing smirk. "When that happens, come see me. Between the two of us I'm sure we'll come up with some very creative threats. Hell, we can call Spike and Angel-san if we need. Those two will definitely have some interesting ideas to contribute."

Ichigo grinned in return; he liked the sound of that. Beside him on the stairs, Toushirou looked up at Uryuu and asked if he should be worried about the other two men getting along so well. From the step behind the three boys, Dawn chuckled lightly as she answered him.

"I wouldn't worry too much about Byakuya and Ichigo getting along. After all, last time I checked it wasn't on the list."

Since they had by this time reached the bottom of the stairs, it was actually Chad who spoke up and asked what Dawn was referring to. With a smirk on his face, Uryuu leapt over the last few steps to answer the quiet boy.

"Oh, Hitsugaya-Taicho was wondering if he should be worried to see Ichigo and Kuchiki-Taicho getting along so well. Dawn said it isn't a big deal since as far as she knows it isn't on the list of signs of an impending apocalypse."

"There's a list for that?" Soi Fon was very curious. After all, she had never heard of such a thing before.

"Yep." Byakuya replied as he sauntered over to lean against an open section of wall near Isshin. "It starts with Buffy buying formal wear, and I think it currently ends with Xander getting a date with a completely normal human woman."

"Ne, Byakuya-bo, what are you doing here by me when you should be over with Dawn-san and Shirou-chan?" Isshin quirked an eyebrow at the younger man.

Several things happened in the moment after Isshin closed his mouth. Chad moved Orihime and Ichigo's sisters over to Dawn and Toushirou. Ichigo let his hollow loose just enough to affect his eyes and voice as the Vizard used a combination of shunpo and sonido while still in his body. Byakuya also rushed forward, and together he and Ichigo had Isshin pinned to the ground. Uryuu and Chad both drew and armed their weapons as they stepped in front of Dawn, Orihime, and the children. Ukitake, Soi Fon, and the rest of the scoobies didn't move, they were too stunned. Back next to Dawn, Toushirou was trying to not hyperventilate. Of course Isshin-Taicho would call him by that nickname, the problem was that hearing it made him think of Hinamori.

"**I warned King that you were gonna do something stupid."** Ichigo's inner hollow snarled, black and gold eyes boring into Isshin.

Glancing at the boy from the corner of his eye, Byakuya spoke to the hollow. "Do you have a name or do I just call you Hollow?"

"**You can call me Ogichi."**

Byakuya gave a sharp nod before turning his focus back to the former Taicho that was pinned beneath them. "The reason that I chose to stand next to you, Isshin-Taicho, is because I knew you would do something stupid. You will not call Toushirou by that name ever again, do you understand me?"

"**You have no idea how tempted King is to let me kill you. Between lying to him and the little Princesses and upsetting the boy, he's had it with your stupid ways."**

Glaring at the young men in disappointment, Ukitake decided that is was time to intervene. "Byakuya, Ogichi, you can't kill Isshin. Ichigo and his sisters would be orphaned if you did."

Looking over his shoulder without loosening his grip, Byakuya's gray eyes were dark with malice as he responded. "Oh don't worry Ukitake-san, we won't kill Isshin. I just planned on maiming him a little."

Karin pushed past Chad and Uryuu so she could get to where the action was. Punching Byakuya in the arm, and coincidentally striking the same bruise Dawn had hit earlier that morning, Karin glared at the man and spoke. "Oi, he's my dad. If anyone gets to maim goat face, it'll be my siblings and me. Outside of that, Toushirou gets a shot at him before you do. Now get off and let me have my turn!"

Byakuya didn't even try to fight the smirk growing on his face as he complied. He could feel a fair bit of reiatsu in her strike. Placing his hand gently on the young girl's arm before stepping out of the way, Byakuya asked for her name.

"I'm Karin, my sister Yuzu is over by Toushirou"

Nodding in thanks, Byakuya walked over check on Toushirou. The little boy was obviously adapting to his current situation, but Byakuya wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. Toushirou had received so little comfort in his life before that he was almost overcompensating by becoming incredibly tactile and clingy with certain people. 'Oh well, this time around I'll make sure that isn't the case.' Byakuya thought to himself as he swung the boy up into his arms.

"Master, we shall take care of both him and Hyourinmaru. He and I have already spoken and decided that we will happily aid Lady Dawn in exacting revenge against Hinamori and Tobiume."

'I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that. If you two aren't careful, she'll draft you both to go play with the eleventh.'

"You say that like we would mind."

Byakuya inwardly rolled his eyes at Senbonzakura. Shifting Toushirou so that the little boy rested on his hip, he leaned over to gently kiss Dawn before pulling his soul phone out. Scrolling through the contacts list, Byakuya stopped at his sister's name and hit send. Hoping that Rukia had her phone close by, he waited for the petite girl to pick up.

"Moshi moshi."

"Rukia, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Nii-sama? O-of course I can, what do you need?"

"I need you to run a few errands and bring me some things. From the house I need five bokken; three standard sized, one tachi, and one nodachi. Next I need you to go and get four uniforms from the academy. This one might be a bit more difficult, but they can send me a bill. I need two women's uniforms that will fit Ichigo's sisters, a men's uniform for Ichigo, and another men's uniform for Toushirou. If they don't have one small enough, just get the smallest men's uniform they have and it can be altered here. Also, if you could, grab Renji and have him bring any paperwork he has done that need my signature. I'll need something to do during dinner. Oof!"

"Nii-sama, are you alright?"

Byakuya wheezed slightly as he answered, since the back of Dawn's fist had connected with his solar plexus. "I'm fine Rukia. I meant that I'd do them after dinner. I would never dream of doing paperwork at the dinner table." In the background Rukia swore she heard a woman say something about Byakuya being damn right about not working at dinner, but she also heard a slight giggle.

"Ano, Nii-sama, why do you need uniforms for Ichigo and his sister? And are they even going to be able to see them? I think Karin can see spirits, but Yuzu can't."

"Don't worry about that bit, you won't even need to worry about gigais either. There are wards around the council's grounds that make spirits visible to anyone regardless of whether or not they have any reiatsu. As for the uniforms, Karin-san can already channel reiatsu into her strikes, so I'd feel better if they got some sort of formal training. All three Kurosakis need kidou and hakuda, but at least the girls won't need to unlearn anything when it comes to zanjutsu. Toushirou needs a uniform because I don't want his skills to fade just because he's smaller now."

"Hai, Nii-sama. I'll get Renji and we'll be there as soon as we can."

"Don't rush yourself too much Rukia, you don't need to wear yourself out. Just as long as you both get here in time for dinner it will be fine. You have a few hours to spare."

"Hai. We'll be there in about two hours or so."

Byakuya said his farewells and hung up the phone. Looking up he noticed that Isshin was lying on the ground twitching as Ichigo and Karin walked toward him. Seeing the teen rub his throat, Byakuya figured that the hollow's voice must have been grating on the soft tissue. Motioning for Ichigo to follow, Byakuya led him to the kitchen and promptly made a cup of lemon tea for the boy.

Sipping the soothing liquid carefully, Ichigo looked at Byakuya and spoke. "So did I hear you right about training me and my sisters?"

Sitting down with a large cup of coffee, Byakuya felt a need for the jolt of caffeine, the noble replied. "Yes you did. None of the three of you have any formal training; and since Isshin can't be bothered to educate his children, I volunteered myself. You are more than strong enough to be a Taicho, but you lack much of the knowledge you need. Karin-san channeled a fair bit of reiatsu into the punch she threw at my arm, and I have a feeling that Yuzu-san's reiatsu is about to hit a growth spurt of sorts. We'll start the day after tomorrow since I need a day to figure a few things out. Thankfully there is a training area here we can use for kidou that won't be damaged if anyone accidentally blows themselves up."

Ichigo chuckled a bit at that. "So what is Toushirou going to do while we learn kidou? He said he couldn't get to his powers."

Raking a hand through his hair, Byakuya leaned back with a sigh. "I'll have him at least try to participate in the kidou lessons. Hopefully it will help him start regaining access in a controlled manner."

Ichigo nodded thoughtfully, Byakuya did make a good point. "So what do you need to get figured out? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh there isn't much, I just need to do a bit of planning and experimenting. I have to decide how I want to conduct the training; you know, decide if we're going to cover each area everyday or on separate days. I also need to run through the katas I learned from the academy and my grandfather to figure out how to adapt the moves for you and Toushirou."

Ichigo's head was spinning just a bit as he swallowed the last of his tea. He had no idea that teaching would take so much effort, but it did make a certain sort of sense. As the two stood and put their used mugs in the appropriate place, Byakuya felt a Senkaimon open outside. Looking at Ichigo and seeing a matching expression of confusion on the young man's face, they headed out of the kitchen to investigate.


	7. Chapter 7

**TR: Yet another chapter! Lots of out of character Byakuya though, which was oodles of fun.**

Rukia stared at the phone in her hand in confusion for a moment; she was a bit puzzled by her brother's behavior. Byakuya was offering to train Ichigo and his sisters, and it had sounded like he had been scolded by a woman at one point. Shaking off those thoughts, Rukia reached out to focus on Renji's reiatsu. Surprised to find him in the tenth division's office with Matsumoto, she headed off to make sure the two weren't in trouble.

The sight that greeted Rukia when she arrived was more than just a little shocking. Matsumoto was at her own desk while Renji was borrowing Hitsugaya-Taicho's, and they were both surrounded by stacks of paperwork. This in and of itself was not unusual; what was unusual was the fact that three quarters of the stacks were done. Gaping in shock, Rukia stood frozen in the doorway until Renji looked up and noticed her.

"Rukia? Is everything ok?"

Snapping out of her stupor, Rukia took a deep breath and relayed what her brother had said. "Nii-sama called me. He wants me to pick up a few things and asked me to have you bring him all the paperwork you have done and ready for him to sign."

"What does Kuchiki-Taicho want you to get?" Matsumoto asked, giving in to the urge to be nosy.

"He wants me to get some uniforms for Hitsugaya-Taicho, Ichigo, and his sisters. Nii-sama also wants me to go home and get some bokken."

Setting her brush down to take a sip of water, Matsumoto bit her lip for a second before proposing an idea. "Well, here's an idea. I'll get all of this paperwork bound up into stacks, Renji can go get the bokken that Kuchiki-Taicho asked for, and Rukia can go get those uniforms."

Renji nodded once at that, Matsumoto had a great idea. Pulling out a blank piece of paper and gathering bit of ink in the tip of his brush, he asked Rukia what he needed to get. Rattling off the list of bokken that Byakuya had asked for, Rukia helped Matsumoto find a spool of twine and scissors to gather papers together. Agreeing to meet back at the Tenth division's offices in hour, both she and Renji headed off in opposite directions to carry out their errands.

Byakuya and Ichigo exited the kitchen and headed straight for the front door, bypassing many curious looks. Ukitake, Soi Fon, and even Isshin had been about to approach the door to investigate; but they decided to let the younger men deal with the situation. Somewhere in the back of his mind Byakuya wondered if the new arrivals were Rukia and Renji, but he shook it off quickly as he realized they wouldn't possible be done with the tasks he requested. Pulling the door open, Byakuya and Ichigo were rather surprised to see two Shinigami in gigais standing before them.

Hisagi Shuuhei and Kira Izuru were nervous, plain and simple. Neither man had ever been to England before, and yet that's exactly where they were. Hisagi had been about to knock on the door, when the large wooden panel swung open. Staring in surprise for just a moment, he and Kira quickly recovered and bowed respectfully to Byakuya and Ichigo. As the two men stood back up and prepared to speak, Kira saw the two inside lean to look around himself and his friend. Turning to peek over his shoulder to see what Ichigo and Byakuya were looking at, the blonde yelped in surprise when a hand closed around his wrist and jerked him inside.

Stumbling in to the building and out of the doorway, Hisagi turned to Byakuya with a look of shock on his face. Struggling to find words to express his confusion, the tattooed man wasn't expecting the small herd of women to come tearing through the door. Turning to gape at the small stampede, Hisagi almost jumped out of his gigai when Byakuya clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Now do you understand why we pulled you and Kira out of the way? Though if you do want to be run over by a small troop of slayers, that can be arranged."

"No, no that's alright. Thank you for pulling me out of the way Kuchiki-Taicho."

"You're welcome Hisagi. Now, what bring you and Kira to London?" Byakuya asked as he started picking up the coats that had been dropped by the returning slayers.

Grabbing a few jackets that had been discarded on the other side of the entry way, Kira handed them over one at a time as he answered. "Soutaicho put us on a forced vacation. He said we need to take some time to recover from the fighting and stress, so we've been sent here. Soutaicho said that since there are already four Taichos here, we are to report to you all and go from there."

"Oi! This ain't a bloody hotel!"

Reaching into one of the pockets on the last coat he had been handed, Byakuya extracted a small dagger. Throwing the little blade with unerring accuracy, the noble smirked in triumph when the metal stopped in the wall next to Spike's head. In fact, the blade had passed so close to the vampire that a trickle of blood crept down from Spike's temple. Grinning in response to Byakuya's throw, Spike removed the knife from the wall and launched it back at the Shinigami. Byakuya had been expecting this action, so he calmly leaned out of the way and snatched the knife out of the air by its handle.

Ichigo was grinning like a mad man as he watched the path of the knife. As the teen glanced around to see what everyone else thought of the little display, he noticed that Dawn was looking down and rubbing her forehead tiredly. Watching as the brunette stood to her full height, the young Vizard bit back a grin as he saw her glare at Spike and Byakuya before she addressed them both.

"Byakuya, Spike, put the testosterone away. Giles has final say on them staying here, not either of you. Now please actually try to be good role models for once before you make my headache even worse."

Byakuya and Spike both shrank just a little at that, guilt weighing heavily on them both. As Byakuya walked over to Dawn, he smiled slightly as he saw Toushirou lean against her leg in a show of comfort. Placing his hands on her hips and lifting her to sit on the desk she had been leaning on, Byakuya reached up to thread his fingers into Dawn's hair as he gently massaged the sides of her head. Pushing a small amount of reiatsu into his fingertips, Byakuya used his own energy to heal Dawn's headache.

"Is that better?" Byakuya asked softly, almost reluctant to remove his hands from Dawn completely.

"Yeah it is, my headache is gone. Now, how about you introduce me our new guests?" Dawn smiled as she hopped off of the desk and walked toward Kira and Hisagi, ruffling Toushirou's hair affectionately as she went.

Looking at each other for just a little bit of reassurance, Hisagi stepped forward to introduce himself. "My name is Hisagi Shuuhei and I'm the Fukutaicho for the ninth division."

Moving to stand next to his friend, Kira bowed slightly to Dawn as he spoke. "I'm Kira Izuru, the Fukutaicho of the third division. It's nice to meet you."

Dawn smiled broadly at the two young men in front of her; they were so polite and she found is adorable. "It's nice to meet you both, my name is Dawn and I'll introduce you to the others later. We're not big on formality around here so I hope you don't mind being called by your first names. You're welcome to stay here during your vacation, though you may end sharing a room. You know, I think I'll keep you two. I've always wanted younger brothers." Dawn's smile had turned from genial to mischievous after her last comment.

Shuuhei and Izuru weren't really sure what to say to the brunette in front of them. Sharing a look of confusion for a moment before following Dawn as she walked back to all the other people in the room, Shuuhei took a breath to gather his courage before he spoke. "Ano, Dawn-san, aren't we older than you? How can we be your younger brothers? And not that it isn't flattering of you to consider us family when we've only just met, but don't we get any say in this?"

"Nope, I've decided and I won't change my mind. As far as age goes, it depends on how you consider my age."

"Huh?" Kira was very confused.

Taking pity on the two younger Shinigami, Byakuya motioned for them to sit on one of the couches as he explained. "Do you remember the reports from about nine years ago about a group of monks that had been guarding a very powerful item being wiped out? Well that group was known as the Order of Dagon and they had been guarding something known as the Key. Before they were destroyed, the order hid the Key in a human form as the younger sister of the slayer."

Dawn leaned over the back of the couch between Izuru and Shuuhei. "What he's trying to say is that I'm the Key. So if you average the age of the Key-which is as old as the world itself- and my physical age, then I am actually older than you."

As Byakuya moved to stand up and replace the desk chair he had grabbed earlier to sit on, he unintentionally voiced a thought out loud. "If we average your age, you make Soutaicho and my grandfather look like toddlers." Byakuya froze, that wasn't supposed to be heard by anyone.

"Excuse me?" Dawn's tone was sharp and curious. Between the sound of her voice and the single raised eyebrow, her annoyance was clear. Moving around from behind the couch that Izuru and Shuuhei were still sitting on, Dawn walked toward Byakuya with the grace of a lioness stalking her prey.

Swallowing thickly, Byakuya slowly turned to look at his girlfriend. Smiling apologetically and using his most placating tone of voice, Byakuya tried to fix his mistake. "You don't look a day over twenty?"

If Byakuya hadn't been so concerned with saving his own skin he might have noticed a second Senkaimon opening outside. Instead, the noble was looking for an opening to run for safety. He didn't find it. After having learned two years ago to NOT use shunpo against an angry Dawn, he could honestly say the thought never crossed his mind in his attempt to escape. In a moment of stupidity and sheer desperation, Byakuya turned his back on Dawn and tried to make a break for it. This worked out very badly for him; as Byakuya quickly found himself face down on the ground with Dawn's full weight sitting on the small of his back. Moving was difficult but not impossible, so Byakuya was able his upper body just a bit. This didn't last long for him, as Dawn promptly maneuvered her legs in such a way as to knock his arms away. Without the support of elbows and forearms, Byakuya's upper body one again dropped to the floor.

Moving toward the prone man on the floor, Toushirou adjusted his grip on the purple dragon he had been given. As he stopped in front of Byakuya's head, Toushirou put on his most innocent expression and reached out to tap Byakuya on the back of his head. As the man raised himself up to look at the little boy, Toushirou spoke with an air of confidence. "You know what? Even I know better than to call a girl old."

Scowling slightly for a moment as he contemplated his next move, Byakuya's hands quickly shot out to tickle Toushirou's sides. He grinned as the boy squeaked in surprise and began to squirm in an attempt to get away. Unfortunately his efforts were in vain, but Toushirou did manage to squeak out a cry for help that Dawn was happy to comply with. Leaning forward to spread her weight closer to Byakuya's ribcage, Dawn reached down and danced her fingers along the sides of his chest. Letting out a sound that was somewhere between a yelp and a squawk, Byakuya wasted no time in releasing his hold on Toushirou in favor of pulling his arms back to cover his sides. Pulling his knees up for leverage, Byakuya flipped Dawn off of his back and pounced on the lithe brunette. Feeling Byakuya's fingers start to tickle her sides and her stomach, Dawn shrieked and squirmed, laughing all the while.

As he hoisted Dawn into the air, Byakuya turned to try and see where Toushirou had run off too. Swiveling with the struggling woman in his arms, Byakuya was a bit surprised to see Toushirou hiding behind Rukia and Matsumoto. Standing behind Toushirou and completing the triangle was Renji, and the looks of utter shock on the three Shinigami's faces were priceless. Byakuya didn't really get the chance to enjoy their shock because at that moment Dawn got in a lucky shot. As her elbow made contact with Byakuya's solar plexus, marking the second time that she had hit him there in less than two hours, Byakuya was barely able to set Dawn down gently before he doubled over from lack of breath. As the noble stood hunched over trying to breathe, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. Turning to see what was going on, Byakuya's eyes widened at the sight of Isshin preparing to launch a full blown glomp attack in his general direction.


	8. Chapter 8

**TR: Ok, here we go with chapter 8. I realize I've changed some of how I'm writing this with the dialog between Shinigami and their zanpakutou and using the Japanese names for the different squads instead of the English translations. This chapter has some very minor Angel-bashing, but I do like him so don't expect more of it.**

Staring in abject horror at the man charging toward him, Byakuya straightened up and prepared to defend himself. Needless to say he was surprised when Isshin veered slightly off course and headed for Rukia and Matsumoto. Turning to watch the crazy man's trajectory, Byakuya was amused by Toushirou's reaction. Looking at Isshin from his spot between Rukia and Matsumoto, teal eyes widened in fearful anticipation. Byakuya bit back a chuckle as he watched the little boy take off in an effort to escape Isshin.

Darting behind Rukia to avoid his former Taicho, Toushirou launched himself into the little bit of space on the couch between Izuru and Shuuhei. As he turned and sat between the two men, Toushirou watched as Isshin spread his arms and pulled Rukia and Matsumoto to him while yelling that his other two daughters had arrived. Looking at the other people in the room, he was hard pressed to stop the giggle that threatened to come out at the amused expression on Byakuya's face.

Watching Isshin pull Matsumoto and his sister into an overbearing hug, Byakuya almost felt guilty for finding so much amusement in Rukia's obvious discomfort. Glancing over at Ichigo and the twins, Byakuya wasn't really all that surprised to see three identical looks of exasperated amusement on their faces. Turning back toward Isshin, Byakuya's mirth quickly morphed into protective rage when he heard the man start talking about Rukia and Ichigo giving him grandbabies. From the corner of his eye, Byakuya saw Ichigo's face turn to the color of Renji's hair as the noble rushed toward Isshin to pry the nut case off of Rukia.

Wrapping his hand around Isshin's throat and slamming the man into the nearest wall, Byakuya growled in anger. "What the hell do you think you're saying about my sister? Encouraging your son to father children out of wedlock with my sister will NOT be tolerated!"

With a deep sigh, Ukitake moved forward to stop Byakuya. Using his sharpest tone of voice, the normally gentle man scolded his former student. "Byakuya, stop it. I realize you are angry with Isshin, but you cannot kill him."

Looking over his shoulder, Byakuya snarled a response. "Why not? Hell, I might even be doing his children a favor. His parenting skills obviously leave much to be desired."

Closing his eyes to cool his own temper, Ukitake reached forward to physically pull the younger man off of his old friend. "Orphaning Ichigo-kun and his sisters is one reason. There's also the fact that if you kill his body Isshin will go back to being a full fledged Shinigami. That means you and Rukia-san will see him that much more. Now calm down and let him go, I have no qualms about calling Yoruichi-san and Ginrei-san if you don't."

Taking a deep breath and releasing Isshin, Byakuya shot a glare at Ukitake for threatening to summon his grandfather and the werecat. Leaning his back against the wall and running his hands through his hair, Byakuya released a harsh sigh as he used every trick he had learned over his long life to cool his fiery temper. He hadn't lost his cool like that in a very long time. Pushing off of the wall and walking toward the stairs, Byakuya snickered softly at the flabbergasted looks that most of the Shinigami in the room were wearing in light of his altercation with Isshin. Pausing to give Dawn a hug as he crossed the large room, he almost laughed at the question she asked him.

"Did you forget about rule number four?"

Looking as kind and harmless as he could muster, Byakuya innocently asked a question in return. "Does it still count if he's not technically human?" In the background Spike, Xander, and Uryuu were all struggling to keep from laughing.

Dawn shook her head lightly as she giggled as bit in Byakuya's arms. "Ok first of all, I am so much better at the whole sweet and innocent thing than you so I don't know why you keep trying. Secondly, if I'm not allowed to severely maim my neglectful piece of shit uncle for being a horrible father then you aren't allowed to kill the man who is here to potentially take the position of Head Physician for the Council. We're going to move to the common room since it has way more seating, so just meet us in there and don't forget your glasses. You will be getting an extra pair to keep in your office this week, and I won't accept any arguments." Leaning up to place a soft kiss on his cheek, Dawn let go of Byakuya and sent him upstairs with a gentle shove.

Shaking off his shock at his Taicho's behavior, Renji stepped up to Dawn and introduced himself with a bow. "Ano, Dawn-san, where should I put the bokken that Kuchiki-Taicho asked for? And where should Rukia and Rangiku-san put the uniforms they have?"

"Well, Angel can take the bokken down to the training room; and as for the uniforms, I guess just set them down over by the other bags and they'll get to where they need to go. Though I do have to say it is very nice to meet you, Byakuya talks about you and his sister a lot. And yes, he did talk about you even before he asked you to be his Fukutaicho."

"Na-nani? Are you serious?" Renji numbly released the bag holding the bokken as he followed Dawn and the rest of the crowd to a different room. Renji was so stunned by her words that he almost tripped over Toushirou as the little boy darted past.

"Yes I am." Dawn smiled at Renji before she began to address the majority of the group. "I know you're all in shock at how Byakuya is acting, but that's how he really is. When he's here he gets to just be Byakuya, and he gets to forget for a while who the head of the Kuchiki clan and the Rokubantai Taicho are. Admittedly most of the reason for that is because we don't put up with his attitude when he has to be either of those men. Byakuya can joke, laugh, drink, and prank with the best of us so you might as well start getting used to it. Also, as a forewarning, he has a twisted and somewhat perverted sense of humor which I only partially take credit for."

Chuckling as he rubbed at his throat, Isshin decided to interject his own observation as he clapped Ichigo on the back with enough force to make the teen stumble. "If Byakuya-bo had grown up with Ichigo and his friend Tatsuki, he would have made the two of them look like perfect little angels. Renji-kun would have seemed that sweet too I suspect."

Placing a finger against her chin thoughtfully, Matsumoto asked a question about a topic that didn't really make sense in her mind. "Well why doesn't Kuchiki-Taicho act this way when he's at his home in Soul Society? I get why he's so serious when he's working, but if he's the head of his clan he should be able to act any way he pleases."

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear, Ukitake shook his head and smiled sadly at the buxom blonde. "I'm afraid that isn't quite how it works Rangiku-san. Byakuya-kun might be the head of his clan but he still has to obey the clan's elders. A large part of that is behaving in a way that they feel is appropriate. Though I get the feeling that it won't be much longer before he tells them exactly what they can do with their rules and expectations."

You mean take them and shove 'em up their asses?"

"Karin!" Ichigo exclaimed in shock. When did she learn to cuss and why didn't their father try and stop her?

"What? You and goat chin aren't the only ones who know how to cuss. And don't tell me that I can't do it too, this is the 21st century after all."

Shaking his head as he plopped down on one of the couches in the common room, Ichigo decided that Karin's use of profanity wasn't worth fighting over. Running his fingers through his hair as he leaned forward and gave Rukia a contemplative glare, Ichigo asked her something that had been bothering him since he had learned of his father's past.

"Rukia, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"How is it that you've known me for so many months, and yet after all that we have gone through together, you couldn't be bothered to tell me that my father used to be a Taicho? Did he make you promise not to or something?"

"He was? I-I had no idea Ichigo, I swear. If I had known I would have told you as soon as I met him." Rukia was stunned to hear that. As she lightly perched on the seat next to Ichigo, she stared at her lap in shame. Rukia couldn't believe she had never known, and she wasn't sure how to get Ichigo to forgive her. Needless to say that Rukia was very surprised when Ichigo's arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her close.

Ichigo didn't know why he pulled Rukia into a hug, but the move felt right to him. Looking down at the small girl in his arms, Ichigo smiled just a bit at the rosy hue of her cheeks, Rukia really was cute when she was embarrassed. Leaning back to lounge against the back of the couch, Ichigo loosened his grip just enough for Rukia to get comfortable before tightening his grip again. Naturally Byakuya walked into the room at that moment, and Ichigo had to hold on even tighter to Rukia as she tried to escape.

Entering the common room, Byakuya knew he would get a lot of surprised stares. In one hand he carried a sketchpad, markers, and a pencil case filled when pens, while the other hand held yet another cup of coffee. A strip of navy blue suede cord held Byakuya's hair up in a ponytail like he had worn as a child, while a pair of silver reading glasses sat perched on the edge of his nose. Sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, Byakuya reached for one of the three stacks of paperwork that Renji and the girls had brought with them. As Byakuya pulled out a black pen and tucked the pencil case under the table, he fixed Ichigo with a stern look before speaking to the boy.

"Ichigo."

"Yeah Byakuya?"

"If you hands find their way to any place on Rukia that you wouldn't want some strange boy to touch one of your sisters, just remember that I have no reservations about cutting your hands off and making you clean up the mess."

Ichigo nodded in understanding, the threat was fair. Feeling Rukia tense in his arms, he looked down and almost laughed at her expression. Rukia was giving her brother a look of utter confusion while still blushing like mad. "Ok, who are you and what have you done with my Nii-sama?"

Byakuya nearly choked on his coffee when Rukia shouted at him. Glancing around the room, he pointed at Angel as the vampire walked in. "You owe me forty dollars Angel."

"Damnit." Cursing softly, Angel pulled out his wallet and threw four random bills at the seated Shinigami.

Counting the bills as he picked them up, Byakuya glared at the brooding wonder. "I said forty dollars, not thirty five you cheapskate."

Walking over and giving Byakuya the correct amount, Angel sulked over to a seat near the corner of the room. Byakuya shook his head at the pouting vampire for a moment before motioning Toushirou to come closer. As the little boy walked over, Byakuya asked if he wanted the sketchpad on the floor or the coffee table.

"Why are you asking me?" Toushirou inquired, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Because you need to work on your fine motor skills and get them back." Byakuya replied as he opened the box of markers.

"My what?"

"Fine motor skills. They're what allow you to grab and manipulate small objects. Because of your size and your new age, you need to work on this. I know your brain remembers how to hold a brush or pen and use it to write, but your hands don't. That's why I grabbed the markers for you."

Toushirou looked down at his feet as he listened to Byakuya, he hated that the older man was right. Chewing on his lower lip, Toushirou decided that the floor would be more comfortable. Lying down on his stomach next to the coffee table, he tucked his stuffed dragon under his chest and murmured a thank you as Byakuya set the sketchpad and markers in front of him. Settling in and starting to doodle randomly with one of the markers, Toushirou flinched and jumped slightly when a camera flash went off somewhere around the edge of his field of vision. Looking up to see the source of the flash, Toushirou found himself staring at a petite brunette dressed in leather.

"Faith, next time warn me before you blind me." Byakuya rubbed his eyes under his glasses as he watched her saunter over to leer at Shuuhei.

"But then it wouldn't be candid anymore Byakuya." Faith quipped. Leaning down to look at Shuuhei's left cheek, she asked if the tattoo on his cheek was an advertisement.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Byakuya paused in the middle of signing a sheet of paperwork to stare at Shuuhei in disbelief. "Are you serious? Even I've heard about what a playboy you are and I know what she means."

Wrinkling his brow in concentration, Shuuhei's eyes widened in realization dawned on him. "Oh! No, no it doesn't mean that. I got it to remember the man who inspired me to become a Shinigami. He used to be the Kyuubantai Taicho and he had this tattoo on his chest."

"I didn't know that Kensei had a tattoo." Ichigo blurted out from his seat.

By that point Byakuya noticed that Dawn had disappeared; but as he looked around to try and spot her, he felt her climb into the chair behind him. Leaning his head back into her lap, Byakuya smiled softly at Dawn in place of a verbal greeting. Turning back to the paperwork in front of him, Byakuya let the sounds of small talk and petty disputes wash over him as he signed sheet after sheet. Oddly, he found the chaos comforting to hear. Pausing in his work once in a while to laugh or contribute to a conversation, Byakuya felt at home for the first time in many years.


	9. Chapter 9

**TR: Finally I've reached the end of the day! There is some serious Toushirou whump in this chapter, but I promise it does have a purpose.**

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" Dawn asked as she stared at Byakuya's reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"Yes it has, but it's mostly been good too. Tomorrow will be better though." Byakuya replied as he walked farther into the room. Wrapping his arms around Dawn's waist from behind, Byakuya tucked her hair over her right shoulder and pressed his face into the crook of her neck. Inhaling the scent of her skin deep into his lungs, Byakuya smiled softly against the column of Dawn's throat as she relaxed back into him. He was glad that he could finally relax and revel in his presence.

Dawn closed her eyes with a sigh as she leaned back against Byakuya's chest. She felt like she had been running nonstop for the last three days getting ready for Toushirou and dealing with all the other new arrivals. She couldn't help the relieved smile that crossed her face at the thought of Byakuya having survived. Dawn honestly didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't made it out of the war, Byakuya meant so much to her. Turning in his arms so that she could face him, Dawn slipped her arms around his back as she leaned into his chest. Standing in the bathroom and soaking up each other's warmth, Dawn and Byakuya finally felt their stress begin to fade.

After staying in each other's arms for a few more moments, Dawn and Byakuya detached and moved into the bedroom. Glancing at the alarm clock on her night stand, Dawn was surprised to see that it was only eleven. Switching on her lamp as Byakuya turned down the covers; Dawn walked to the wall next to the door and turned off the overhead light. As she turned back to the bed she heard a light knock on the door. Opening it to identify the source of the knock, Dawn looked down to see Toushirou standing in front of her with his dragon clutched to his chest. As soon as she saw that his eyes were red and his cheeks were streaked with tears, Dawn's maternal instincts kicked in to overdrive and she swept Toushirou up in her arms before closing the door.

Byakuya switched on his lamp for a bit of extra light before sitting on the bed. He was stunned for a brief moment when Toushirou climbed out of Dawn's arms and latched onto his night shirt, but Byakuya quickly overcame his surprise as he wrapped his arms around the little boy. As he soothingly stroked Toushirou's back, Byakuya spoke softly. "What's the matter little one? Did you have more nightmares?"

Toushirou sniffled a bit and nodded into Byakuya's chest, he didn't trust his voice at the moment. Gently petting the upset child's white hair, Dawn leaned against Byakuya's shoulder as she comforted the boy in his lap. "It's ok sweetie. They're just dreams, they can't hurt you. Was it the same as before?"

Leaning back so that he could look at Dawn, Toushirou wiped his nose with his sleeve as he replied. "H-hai. It was mostly the same, but there was more. This time Aizen didn't kill me right away. He made me watch as Ichimaru and Tousen killed Matsumoto and Kuchiki-Taicho. Then Soi Fon-Taicho tried to save me and Aizen killed her too. One of the Espada came over dragging Ukitake-Taicho and Kyouraku-Taicho too. He killed all of my friends so that he could make sure I died alone. I had it three times already tonight and… I-I'm scared to go back to sleep." Toushirou's voice had grown small and week and it quavered with unshed tears.

By that point, both Byakuya and Dawn had tears in their eyes as they shifted so that they could both hug Toushirou. As their eyes met and an agreement was made, Byakuya spoke gently to the little boy in his arms. "How about staying here for tonight? Dawn and I will do our best to keep your nightmares away."

Teal eyes blinked up at him in awe. "R-really? Are you sure? I don't want to be a pain."

Dawn smiled at him lovingly, and Toushirou couldn't help the light blush he felt spread to his cheeks as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Yes, we're sure. Just lie down and try to get some sleep sweetheart, no one will hurt you here."

With one more little sniffle, Toushirou nodded. Lying down between the two people who were quickly filling the two biggest voids in his life, Toushirou couldn't deny how comforting it was to be cuddled by people who truly cared. Closing his eyes hesitantly, Toushirou could have cried in relief when he saw the frozen plains of his inner world instead of the rubble of a war-torn Karakura. Giggling softly as he felt a cool breeze tickle the back of his neck, Toushirou turned to smile at Hyourinmaru.

'I'm really glad to see you Hyourinmaru.'

"I know master. I am grateful that I can reach you now that the nightmares are gone."

'They'll come back though.'

"Yes, they probably will, but in time they will fade."

'Hyourinmaru?'

"Yes master?"

'Is it horrible of me to hope that Dawn-san and Willow-san can't reverse what Kurotsuchi did to me?'

"I don't think so. I think it is perfectly normal for you to want to stay as you are."

'Really?'

"Yes. For one thing, as a mortal you will age much faster than you would otherwise, and I know better than anyone how much you want to look older. Also, it is perfectly natural for you to want to have a second chance at a happy childhood. I think that is how you should view your current situation. Dawn-sama and Kuchiki-Taicho seem to be doing their best to act like a mother and father to you, and I believe that you should let them."

Toushirou considered the dragon's words for a moment before responding. 'You won't try to make me call them that until I'm ready right? Just in case we're reading them wrong?'

"Of course master."

Smiling up at the spirit of his zanpakutou once more, Toushirou changed the subject as he leaned into the side of the massive creature. 'You know, I think I have a name for that stuffed dragon that Dawn-san gave me. I'm gonna call him Kusaka.'

Smiling at his master as best as any dragon could, Hyourinmaru nuzzled the little boy gently. "I think that is a very good name for it." Hyourinmaru curled around his little master protectively as they sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the night.

The whole time that Toushirou was speaking to Hyourinmaru, Byakuya was having a very good dream. As he slept, he found himself walking down a hallway in his home and he could hear children playing in his favorite garden. As he walked out the door to the porch that led to the garden, Byakuya smiled as he saw Dawn sitting on the edge with her feet hanging toward the ground. He couldn't help but notice how elegant the brunette woman looked in the pale blue kimono that his mind dressed her in. Looking out over the garden, Byakuya smiled as he saw four children chasing a ball around in the grass. Taking a seat next to Dawn, Byakuya took great pleasure in watching his children.

At the front of the little pack was Toushirou, and in Byakuya's dream the boy looked like he had during the war in regard to age, but he was smiling brightly. Hot on Toushirou's heels were two little girls who looked to be roughly five or six. Twin raven braids streamed behind them as two pairs of blue eyes sparkled happily. Teetering along behind the girls was a little boy who could be no more than three. Short brown hair framed his cherubic face as his gray eyes showed a fierce sense of determination. As he watched the children kick the brightly colored ball, Byakuya's mind helpfully supplied names for the three that obviously shared his blood. His girls were named Hisana and Hoshi, and the little boy was Tatsuya. Byakuya laughed softly as Tatsuya veered toward the porch and climbed into Dawn's lap, and he felt his heart sell with love as the toddler spoke.

"Tousan, I tired. You go pway for me, kay?"

Byakuya smiled brightly at the little boy and leaned over to kiss a chubby cheek. Standing to move into the garden, Byakuya's beautiful dream faded away as he woke up. Blinking rapidly, he could feel tears pricking his eyes as his vision adjusted to the darkness of the room. Pushing himself up with one arm to see the clock that sat on Dawn's side of the bed, he groaned mentally at the time. The bright red letters informed Byakuya that it was four in the morning, which meant he had gotten less than five hours of sleep. Lying in bed for about ten minutes, which of course felt like an hour, he realized that he would not be going back to sleep any time soon. Byakuya took great care to disentangle himself as he crawled out of bed; there was no use in waking Toushirou and Dawn just because he couldn't sleep. As he tucked the covers back in next to Toushirou to keep the little boy warm, Byakuya decided that he would be productive and get some training done. Silently grabbing a kosode and a pair of hakama from the dresser, Byakuya quietly slipped into the bathroom to change.

While Byakuya had been dreaming of a family, Dawn had dreamt of another important aspect of the future, her wedding. In her mind, Dawn was staring in a mirror while Rukia and Buffy pulled her hair up, white kimono made her skin look like porcelain. In no time at all, Dawn found herself standing behind a shoji door getting ready to walk down the aisle. Sensing movement from behind her, Dawn turned to see Giles and Spike dressed in simple but dashing men's kimonos. Smiling at the two men as they stepped up to stand on either side of her, Dawn took a deep breath as she clutched to bouquet of camellias tightly. Blinking against the sunlight as the shoji door opened. Dawn stepped onto the stone aisle with shaking legs as she took in the scene before her.

The wedding was being held in a garden full of cherry blossom trees, and the pale flowers were in full bloom. Dawn barely even noticed the sea of faceless guests as she looked down the aisle. Standing in front of the faceless officiate was Byakuya, and Dawn couldn't believe how incredible he looked in just a simple black shihakushou. Standing next to her betrothed was Toushirou, and she could feel a smile growing as she saw how handsome he looked in a dark blue kimono with a silver dragon pattern. Proceeding down the aisle, Dawn finally reached Byakuya as her perfect dream played on.


	10. Chapter 10

**TR: Woohoo! Another chapter done! I really enjoyed writing this one, but I think I might like the next one better; we'll just have to see.**

As Byakuya neared the training hall in the basement, he was surprised to hear what sounded like a sparring match going on inside. Opening the door and bowing quickly before stepping onto the mats, he was only mildly shocked by the three people who already occupied the room. Taking in the faces of the small group that had paused their three-way match, Byakuya nodded slightly as a greeting. In response to his nod, Renji, Izuru, and Shuuhei bowed lightly to the nobleman. Glancing at the walls until he spotted the rack he was looking for, Byakuya stretched his arms and shoulders as he walked over to the bokken that Renji had brought from his home. Since he wasn't in the mood to do very many katas, Byakuya grabbed the nodachi first and performed a handful of beginner's forms. He absently noted that the three younger men had resumed their match, and Byakuya hoped that they would still be willing to spar in an hour.

Renji, Izuru, and Shuuhei hadn't stopped sparring for very long. Sure, they were surprised to see Byakuya, but none of them thought it to be a big deal. Picking their match back up at about the same time that Byakuya started his first kata, the trio tried to ignore the dark haired Taicho at the other end of the room. That tactic didn't work very well since they were all hoping that Byakuya would join their match. Silently agreeing to take a break, Renji and the other two sat down to rest just in time to see Byakuya replace the nodachi in favor of the tachi. Wiping the sweat from their faces as they tried to catch their breath, Izuru and Shuuhei tried desperately not to grin like maniacs when Byakuya addressed them with a smirk.

"I hope you three are sitting so that you'll have the energy to spar me in a little bit and not because you're worn out. I'd really hate to have to go wake Soi Fon just to get a decent opponent. She'll probably release Suzumebachi on me if I try."

"Don't worry Taicho, we're just resting up while we wait for you." Renji chuckled at his superior as he took a long swig from his water bottle.

"Well then I had better hurry up and finish my katas. If you don't mind me asking, what are the three of you doing up at this hour?"

Groaning slightly as he stretched his back, Shuuhei sighed at the feel of his vertebrae cracking. Shrugging slightly as he sat back up, he took the chance to answer Byakuya. "We were all having nightmares and got tired of trying to go back to sleep. I suggested coming down here to train so we could wear ourselves out and get some sleep after. It took a little while to find our way, but obviously we managed. What about you Kuchiki-Taicho?"

"Byakuya." The three Fukutaicho stared at him blankly. "When we're here in the world of the living and not on a mission, I want you to call me by my given name. The same will hold true when at my estate in Soul Society. Between Rukia and Dawn if I'm not officially related to you three yet, I will be soon. As for why I'm up, well," Byakuya came to a halt and lowered the bokken in his hands, "have you ever had a dream so good that you never want to wake up? But you always do wake up, and all you want to do is go back to sleep, but you can't. That's why I'm up."

"I really hare dreams like that, I used to have them after my parents died. Once I graduated from the academy they started up again for a little while." Izuru looked at Byakuya almost shyly as he picked at the edge of his hakama.

Walking back to place the tachi bokken on the rack, Byakuya selected on of the three normal sized practice weapons before turning to the three seated men with a smirk. Resting the back of the wooden sword against his shoulder as he watched the trio stand and retrieve their own bokken, Byakuya asked about the format. "How do you want to do this? Do you want a three on one, a two on two, or should we do one on one with the winners facing off? Personally, I have no preference; but if you decide to do one on one, we should mix up the pairs a bit."

With a nearly feral grin on his face, Renji regarded his friends for a moment. "I say we go with the one on one method. I'll spar Izuru and Shuuhei can fight…Byakuya."

"Did you forget my name for a moment Renji?" Byakuya laughed.

"Nom I was just remembering to call you by your name instead of addressing you the way I'm used to. It's such an ingrained habit that it took me a bit to make sure I would say the right thing."

Each pair nodded at the other cordially before moving to opposite ends of the large space. Bowing respectfully to their opponents, the four men quickly took their ready stance and prepared to fight. For the next several minutes, no one moved. They were all too busy analyzing their opponents. Finally Byakuya grew tired of standing still, and took the offensive. His movements and strikes were so fast that Shuuhei was unable to do anything but defend. Over on the other side of the room, Renji wasn't fairing much better than his senpai was. The red head had not expected his blonde friend to be so ferocious.

The fights continued on for quite a while before the winners triumphed. Naturally, because he was a bit older and had more experience, Byakuya beat Shuuhei by disarming the younger man. As they turned to see who Byakuya would face next, the two dark haired Shinigami were very surprised at the outcome. Izuru had Renji pinned to the ground with one knee against the red head's solar plexus as he lightly pressed the tip of his bokken against the under side of Renji's chin. As Byakuya and Shuuhei applauded the two younger men, Izuru pulled back and reached a hand down to help Renji up. After congratulating Izuru with a friendly pat on the back, Renji and Shuuhei moved out of the way so that Byakuya and the blonde could begin their match.

Bowing respectfully to each other before assuming their fighting stances, Byakuya and Izuru stared intensely at each other in a silent battle of wills. Without ever breaking eye contact, the two men began to circle each other as they looked for openings. This holding pattern continued on for several minutes, and Renji was about to yell at them to fight when Byakuya and Izuru both surged forward. Moving in perfect synchronicity, the two sparring men traded blow after blow after blow. As the match continued on, both men began to escalate their speed and attacks until they were using shunpo almost constantly. Luckily for their spectators, Izuru and Byakuya were always careful to keep a safe distance away as they fought. Finally, after nearly an hour of sparring, the match ended. Renji and Shuuhei weren't really surprised at the outcome of the fight as they saw Izuru on his knees with Byakuya's bokken pressed to the back of his neck.

Pulling back and giving Izuru a hand up, Byakuya thanked the young man for fighting him. Restraining a laugh as the blonde collapsed next to his friends with a groan, Byakuya put the bokken they had been using away before heading over to a small cabinet in the corner. Reaching in and grabbing four small jars, he walked over and sat next to Renji as he handed a jar to each of the men. After explaining that the jars were full of a cream that would heal bruises, Byakuya removed his top and began applying the substance to his torso and arms, as the other three followed suit, Byakuya reached over and snagged Renji's water bottle before taking a long drink from the mostly full container.

"Oi! That's mine!" Renji cried in indignation as he snatched the bottle back from his superior. Byakuya laughed at the boisterous red head as he wiped the sweat off of his face. Suddenly feeling the weight of a heavy gaze on him, Byakuya lowered the kosode he had been using as a makeshift towel to see Renji affixing him with a very serious stare.

Taking a breath and licking his chapped lips, Renji tried to find the right words to express what was on his mind. "I been keepin' my mouth shut while we all sparred, but there was somethin' you said that got me thinkin'. When you told us to call you by your fist name, you made a comment about how if we ain't related to you we will be before long. Now I've never claimed to be a genius, but I ain't an idiot either and I'm a bit confused here. See, it sounded like you consider me family, and that threw me for a loop because I always thought you hated me. I ain't tryin' to put you on the spot or nothin', just curious you know?"

Byakuya grabbed the red head's water bottle again and took another long drink to soothe his suddenly parched throat. He had been waiting for Renji to call him on that comment. Looking down for a moment to collect himself, Byakuya looked up to meet Renji's brown eyes as he replied softly. "You're mistaking envy for hatred."

"Envy?" That startled Renji, he almost found Byakuya's comment offending. "What do I have for you to envy?"

"Freedom. You have the freedom to make your own path in life. I have never been free to follow my own desires in life. I grew up with a world of expectations on my shoulders and shoved in my face, and you will never know how jealous I am that you didn't go through that. I'm not saying you had it easy as a child, I know better than to imply such a thing. Twice in my life I have tried to break out of the mold the clan put me in at birth and neither time has it ended well. I fought the elders so I could marry Hisana, and we barely had five years together before she died. I found Rukia at the academy the very next year. Before she died I promised Hisana that I would protect Rukia no matter what. That's why I've convinced Ukitake-Taicho to keep her as an unseated officer despite the fact that she deserves to be a Fukutaicho now. But after I finally got the elders to accept her adoption into the Kuchiki family, I swore on the graves of my parents that I would never break another rule. The fiasco of Rukia's near execution was quite possibly the hardest time of my life, which promise was I supposed to keep? I couldn't decide, and in the end I broke them both anyway. And on top of that, I've always envied your relationship with Rukia. You've been a better brother to her than I have, and I know it's my own fault. I know I should have tried harder to build a better relationship with her, but I didn't. Part of that was because she looks so much like her sister that for a while it physically hurt to look at Rukia, but part of it is because I don't know how to be a big brother. I just hope at this point it isn't too late to build a better relationship with her."

"Nah, I don't think so. I know Rukia really wants to have a better relationship with you. Honestly, I get the feeling that Dawn-san will be more than willing to help too." Renji gave Byakuya a crooked half smile as he tried to reassure the older man.

"By 'help' you do mean force, right?" Izuru injected with a smirk. Byakuya nodded fervently as he laughed at the blonde's comment.

Rolling his neck to loosen up some of the tension that had accumulated there, Shuuhei decided to indulge his own curiosity as he changed the subject. "So, would it be less depressing if I asked you about the dream you had that woke you up Byakuya?"

"Yes it would be less depressing. It was nice though; I mean I've always wanted a family; so to dream about having one was nice. Toushirou and three other kids that were obviously Dawn's and mine were playing in my favorite garden on my family's estate. Toushirou looked the same age that he was a few days ago; there were two little girls who looked about five or six, and a little boy who looked to be about three. There's a fairly large part of me that's hoping that dream will come true eventually." With a bit of a groan, Byakuya stood and put the jars back in the little cabinet as he pulled his kosode on. Leaving the garment open, he reached down and pulled Renji up, laughing as the tattooed man spoke.

"You know, if you ever have daughters, they are going to hate you when they start dating."

"Now, now Renji, be fair. They'll hate all four of us then." Izuru chuckled from behind Renji as the group of four reached the stairs.

"You know, if I do ever have daughters, I think I'll actually look forward to them dating. How else will I get to practice new and interesting threats?" Byakuya quipped, his voice full of mischief. Reaching the hallway at the top of the stairs, all four men shared a laugh at Byakuya's comment. That was quickly followed by a collective groan as they spotted the antique grandfather clock on the opposite wall.

"Oh come on, are you serious? It's only a quarter to eight?" Shuuhei griped. Really, he could have sworn they had been down in the training room longer than that.

"Don't know about you guys, but I'm more awake than I was at three thirty, our grand plan backfired." Izuru rubbed the back of his neck in disappointment.

"Well, if the three of you don't mind waiting about two hours, Dawn should be in the kitchen making chocolate chip pancakes around ten." Byakuya remarked casually.

"Are they any good?"

"Renji, you know how much I hate sweets, and I can't get enough of Dawn's pancakes. Hell, I even swipe some of the chocolate chips before she adds them to the batter. The best part is that she makes them every Sunday."

"Well hell, I know where I'll be spendin' my Sunday mornin's from now on." Renji replied reverently. With a smile and a shake of his head, Byakuya bid the three Fukutaichos farewell. His shower was calling.


	11. Chapter 11

**TR: Ok so this chapter has lot of fluff in it, but I like it. Hopefully I'll get twelve done this week too, but then updates will slow down since I'll be working full time over the summer. I really will get back to my other stories at some point, assuming this ever leaves any room in my brain for them before it's done. Anyway, on with the chapter!**

Stepping out of the steamy bathroom, Byakuya sighed quietly. Hot showers always felt so good after training sessions. Sitting on the window seat located in the center of the eastern wall of the bedroom he shared with Dawn, Byakuya bent down to tie his favorite pair of boots. Sitting back up and flipping a stray tendril of hair back over his shoulder, the noble was glad that Dawn didn't mind him borrowing her elastic hair ties. Picking up the blanket that always stayed on the cushion of the window seat, Byakuya wrapped the thick cloth around his shoulders like a cloak, as he looked over at the king sized bed with a smile. There in the center of the bed, two of the most important people in his life cuddled together, safe in the arms of Morpheus. Smiling as he got comfortable in the little alcove, Byakuya was more than content to sit and watch Toushirou and Dawn sleep in the soft light filtering through the curtains.

Toushirou wasn't exactly sure what woke him up, but there were a few things he noticed as he returned to wakefulness. First and foremost was that he was still curled up in Dawn's arms in the middle of the bed. The second thing he noticed was that the other side of the bed was cool, and obviously hadn't been occupied for some time. Last but certainly not least, Toushirou had the feeling that he was being watched. Peeking over the top of the covers, teal eyes scanned the room blearily as he tried to identify the source of the sensation. When he spotted Byakuya observing him from the window seat, Toushirou felt a sudden urge to go over and curl up in the noble's lap. Had he been more alert, Toushirou would have questioned the urge and perhaps even try to ignore it. Alas, as his brain was still mostly asleep, Toushirou gently extracted himself from the bed and stumbled toward the window seat. Sighing in contentment as Byakuya lifted the little boy into his lap, Toushirou snuggled into the man's chest and drifted off to sleep with Kusaka held tightly in his arms and Byakuya's heart beating softly beneath his ear.

Bending his head down to press his lips against the soft white locks beneath his chin, Byakuya smiled as he tightened his hold on the sleeping child in his arms. Byakuya privately thought he could get very used to cuddling the little boy that he already thought of as his son. Truthfully, he had admired Toushirou almost since the moment he heard of the tiny genius. Byakuya knew that when the boy grew fully into his powers, there was a strong probability that Toushirou would be stronger than even Soutaicho, and that thought made him very proud. Reaching into his inner world just far enough to contact Senbonzakura, but not far enough to lose sight of Dawn and Toushirou, Byakuya spoke with his zanpakutou.

'What do you think the odds are that he'll actually let me adopt him as my son?'

"I don't know, but based on yesterday and now I'd guess that the odds are pretty good. The elders won't be happy about it though."

'Yeah, well, they can kiss my ass. I plan on naming Toushirou as my heir, so they can get as pissy as they want about that too. It's not like they'll change my mind any. Besides, I'm the head of the family anyway, so what I say ultimately goes.'

Senbonzakura snickered behind his mask. "What will you do if that dream you had comes true and they try to make you declare one of your other children your heir?"

'Did you listen to anything I just said? Toushirou is my eldest, therefore he is my heir.'

"And what if he doesn't want to be? What will you do if Toushirou-sama doesn't want to be the next head of the Kuchiki clan?"

'Eh, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now I'm more concerned with making sure he knows that Dawn and I love him as our son, and that nothing is going to change that.'

"I know that isn't the only thing you're worried about. Why do you fell so sure that Toushirou-sama will get sick soon?"

'Well, think about it logically. We were all on edge and not taking very good care of ourselves before and during the war, and then poor Toushirou got turned into a mortal child after getting in a huge fight with his surrogate sister. We've brought him to a new place with hundreds of new people, all of whom have untold amounts of germs he has probably never been exposed to. When you realize that he has to deal with all of that with the immune system of a human child, the question isn't if he'll get sick, it's when and how badly.'

"Alright, that at least makes sense. So what are you going to do if Dawn-sama and the red witch find a way to fix what Kurotsuchi did to him?"

Byakuya sighed deeply but quietly. He could feel Toushirou squirm in his arms; it was as though the child could sense his melancholic feelings. Swallowing thickly, Byakuya answered the masked samurai softly. 'I don't want to think about that right now. I know Dawn said last night that the prospect of finding a cure isn't very good, and we were both ok with that, but I don't know if Toushirou would feel the same. Right now I'm just trying to hope for the best while preparing for the worst. Hell, if there is a cure, maybe he'll still let us be a part of his life anyway.'

Senbonzakura knew his master couldn't see him, so the spirit did his best to send comfort and reassurance as a sense to Byakuya. Letting his master's childhood sense of curiosity get the better of him, Senbonzakura decided to change the subject. "So now that Soutaicho knows about your relationship with Dawn-sama, are you planning to marry her?"

If Byakuya could have, he would have smacked Senbonzakura upside the head for being such an idiot. 'Of course I will you baka! I was planning on taking Toushirou and the boys with me to get their opinions on a ring for her.'

"You do mean the three you sparred with this morning I presume?"

'Yeah. Uryuu will want to spend time with his cousins. Though he'll probably only get time with Buffy today since Dawn will be working on Ukitake-Taicho's remedy. I want to talk to Angel and Spike to see if they would be willing to try and talk to Ichigo, and I'm sure that Sado-san will want to stay with his friends.'

"Why do you want the vampires to talk to Ichigo?"

'Well, from my perspective at least, having a soul and a demon in one body isn't much different than a Shinigami having a hollow inside. I know that the Vizards trained Ichigo, but from everything I've seen and heard, they keep to themselves and don't worry about anyone else. Considering the fact that Ichigo has proven himself to be the exact opposite of that way of life, I hope that Spike and Angel can give him some advice on keeping his hollow under control. Oh, please don't let me forget to ask Dawn if she can sit down and talk to Inoue-san soon.'

"Hai, master. Dawn-sama would be the best to counsel the girl on how to cope with what Aizen put her through. Thankfully she doesn't get kidnapped nearly as often anymore."

From behind lowered eyelids, Dawn watched Byakuya and Toushirou snuggle in the window seat. Privately, she was surprised that Byakuya thought she was still sleeping; but even after four years he still couldn't tell when she was faking. In the past, Dawn had been notorious for sleeping like the dead and not being disturbed by any motion from anyone she had to share a bed with. Then she met Byakuya, and Dawn found herself waking any time he got up. It didn't take long at all to learn how to fake sleep well enough to fool her dark haired lover, and Dawn loved to watch him through her eyelashes when he thought she was sleeping. Staring at the barely visible tuft of white hair that rested between Byakuya's chin and the edge of the blanket, Dawn felt a sense of happiness that she never expected. She never thought that she would get to have a family of her own, and yet the two Shinigami across the room seemed intent on proving her wrong.

Reaching up to grab the top of the headboard, Dawn stretched her whole body in a way that would make cats jealous before glancing over to the alarm clock. Seeing that it was already nine, she decided that it was time to get up and get busy. Quietly pulling a few things from the dresser, Dawn paused to give Byakuya a deep kiss before moving into the bathroom to take a shower.

Stepping under the hot spray of water, Dawn let her mind wander slightly as she lathered shampoo into her hair. She knew that unless a miracle occurred there would be no way to change Toushirou back to how he had been, and she had no idea how the little boy would handle that. Dawn was hoping that Toushirou would find a way to be ok with that and take the chance to make the best of his new situation. As she stepped into her walk-in closet to choose an outfit for the day, Dawn let herself imagine what it would be like to be married to Byakuya with Toushirou calling her mom.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Dawn had to fight the urge to giggle as she looked at her boys. Byakuya appeared to be attempting to rouse Toushirou, but the little boy wasn't cooperating at all. Byakuya was trying to take the blanket off and set it back on the seat but Toushirou kept grabbing on to it to stop him. Of course Byakuya could have easily overpowered the child, but Dawn found it adorable that he played along with Toushirou. Crouching down to look the little boy in the eye, Dawn smiled brightly at the child that she considered to be her own. Ruffling Toushirou's hair and earning a giggle from him, Dawn spoke. "Why don't you go get dressed and then you can come be my helper while I make breakfast."

"Really? What are we making?"

"We're going to make chocolate chip pancakes, I do them every Sunday. But you need to go get dressed first."

With a nod, Toushirou leapt up and dashed off to his room.


End file.
